Have you always wanted to write your own blog?Would you like to reach out to others with tutorials, promote books, or work from home?

I was confused by all the bits and pieces of information available all over the blogging world. By trial and error, I gathered all the correct information on how to set up a successful blog and now I can share this with you. Let’s get started with the easy steps that will have you up and running your beautiful blog in about 15 minutes. Are you ready?

Step 1: You need a host. Web hosts are online services that store your blog and allow visitors to access it. Although you can start a free service with Blogger or Word Press like I did, I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. You get what you pay for and if saving time is important to you, having a self-hosted site saves time and headaches.

Why did I choose Bluehost? WordPress has been recommending Bluehost since 2005. I found their 24/7 customer support, reliability, unlimited space and automated backups worth bragging about.

So you can reference these instructions, begin by clicking here to go to Bluehost as you build your site. Click the Get Started Now button.

Step 2: Choose your domain. Enter your domain’s web address, (example: RetirefortheFunofit.com) on the left side under New Domain. Make sure the extension of your choice (.com) is selected from the drop down menu beside it.

If you’ve already registered a domain name elsewhere, enter it on the right. It won’t mess anything up, since this only identifies your account.

Then click the Next button.Step 3: Enter your account information.
Your e-mail address is where your login information will be sent for your records.Step 4: Choose a hosting package.
Your Package Information is where you choose your Account Plan from the dropdown menu based on how far in advance you want to pay. I found this was a very reasonable monthly fee for owning a blog or website. Don’t you agree?

I skipped the other add-ons except the Domain Whois Privacy, which will keep your personal information private. The Domain Whois Privacy option is highly recommended and only shows up if you registered a new domain in Step 2. It won’t be an option if you are transferring your domain.

Step 5: Enter your billing information.
Fill in your billing information, confirm that you have read the fine print and click the Next button.Step 6: The Upgrades.
I recommend reviewing all the upgrades, but I skipped them all for my blog. Continue on to complete your purchase. Then go to your e-mail, where you will find a welcome message from Bluehost. Now you will have your control panel (cPanel) login information. Be sure to keep this for future reference.

Step 7: Login to your cPanel.
In the Welcome e-mail is the link to your cPanel or you can go back to the Bluehost site. Now click the Login button in the top right corner of your screen. Enter your cPanel (control panel) login information from the welcome e-mail and click the blue Login button.

Step 8: Install WordPress.
Click the WordPress icon under Website Builders.Step 9: Start the WordPress installation.
Now you will see a window that looks like this. Click the Start button to begin the WordPress installing process.Step 10: Choose where to install WordPress.
Leave this section as is with your domain showing in the dropdown menu. The only reason to change this is to create a subfolder, which is rather unlikely if you’re starting your very first blog.
Simply click Check Domain.Step 11: Enter your WordPress user information.
Check the box next to Show Advanced Options. Enter your Site Name or Title.
Now choose your personal Admin Username and your password. This information will be what you use to login to WordPress once it’s installed. Be sure to save this information for whenever you login to WordPress. Now enter your e-mail address so your site information will be sent to you. Read and agree to the terms. Click the Install Now button.

Step 12: Success. You have officially installed your new WordPress site.
You are finished. Please keep this information to access your site, that will also be sent to you via e-mail, in a safe file. When you click on the Site URL link, it will take you to your beautiful new and live website. Now when you click on the Login URL link, you will be directed to the WordPress login page. You can enter your saved username and password and have access to the backend of your WordPress site.

Congratulations! You and anyone you give access too, can type your domain into a browser and your WordPress site will appear.
I hope you found this post useful for starting your own self-hosted blog. I’m looking forward to sharing comments and discussions about blogging with you. An affiliate link is with this post.

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I've lived through 50+ happy years of marriage with my best friend, 4 well-adjusted adult children, which now include 8 beautiful grandchildren, and 4 spoiled grand-dogs. I’m now retired and committed to adding to my bucket list....not kicking it.
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